Hertsmere Journal

Borehamwood planning applications for February 2010

hertsmerejournal — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 21:57:00 +0000

TP/10/0339
26 Park Crescent, Elstree, Borehamwood, WD6 3PU
Proposal: Erection of front entrance porch; Demolition of existing garage & erection of two storey side/rear extension.

TP/10/0429
125 Arundel Drive, Borehamwood, WD6 2LZ
Proposal: Retention of Rear Extension and decking.

TP/10/0455
113 Cowley Hill, Borehamwood, WD6 5NA
Proposal: First floor side extension and internal alterations.

Recent Borehamwood Planning Decisions

hertsmerejournal — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 21:27:00 +0000

TP/09/2091
Tesco Stores Ltd, Shenley Road, Borehamwood
Proposal: Installation of a combined heat and power (CHP) unit to provide a sustainable method of powering the store.
Decision: The application was deferred to enable Officers to contact Tesco and request the resiting of the CHP unit further away from the neighbours in Whitehouse Avenue.

TP/09/2035
Unit 11, Capital Business Park, Manor Way, Borehamwood
TP/09/2136
Unit 9-10, Capital Business Park, Manor Way, Borehamwood
TP/09/2141
Unit 7, Capital Business Park, Manor Way, Borehamwood
Proposal: Retrospective application for retention of six air conditioning units to rear of unit and two first floor rear windows (Revised Application).
Decision: planning permission was refused for the following reasons:
1) The windows located on the rear elevation of unit 11 on the first floor create an unacceptable loss of, or perception of loss of privacy for houses and gardens in Bullhead Road. Therefore the development is contrary to policy D21 of the Hertsmere Local Plan 2003 and the Council’s Design Guidance.
2) The air conditioning units located on the rear elevation of unit 11 have the potential to create an unacceptable loss of amenity due to noise generation for houses and gardens in Bullhead Road. Therefore the development is contrary to Policies D13, D14 and D21 of the Hertsmere Local Plan 2003 and the Council’s Design Guidance.

TP/09/1839 (Mysteriously with no records online)
1 Tennison Avenue, Borehamwood
Decision: The minutes of the 2nd February meeting state “The Planning Officer reported that the appeal had been allowed” however this is believed not to be the case. This was an appeal against a council enforcement notice where a garage had been converted into a dentist’s office without planning permission. The enforcement notice against the owner of the property is still active

TP/09/1748
47 Wordsworth Gardens, Borehamwood.
Proposal: Conversion of garage to habitable room
Decision: Permission granted
Conditions or Reasons: There is no objection in principle to the conversion of a garage into habitable accommodation in an established residential area. There are also no concerns about the impact of the development on visual or residential amenity of the area, and the car parking provision available is considered to be in accordance with the requirements set out in the Parking Standards SPD 2008.

TP/09/1398
Car Wash behind The Venue Leisure Centre, Elstree Way, Borehamwood
Proposal: Retention of hand car wash. Alterations to operating hours (07.30 to 19.00 Monday to Friday and 07.30 to 17.30 on Saturdays and Sundays) (Amended description only).
Decision: Permission granted
Conditions or Reasons: 1) NO DEVELOPMENT SHALL TAKE PLACE BEFORE a scheme for the on-site storage and regulated discharge of surface water run-off has been submitted to, and approved in writing by, the Local Planning Authority. The development shall be carried out in accordance with the approved scheme.
1) Reason: To ensure the proposed development does not overload the existing drainage system resulting in flooding and/or surcharging. To comply with Policy D3 of the Hertsmere Local Plan 2003 and Policy CS15 of the Hertsmere Core Strategy 2008.
2) The use hereby permitted shall only take place during daylight hours.
2) Reason: To protect the visual amenities of the area. To comply with Policies H8, D20 and D21 of the Hertsmere Local Plan 2003 and Policy CS20 of the Hertsmere Core Strategy 2008.
3) No amplified music may be played at the site at any time unless with the further written permission of the Local Planning Authority.
3) Reason: To protect the amenities of neighbouring occupiers. To comply with Policies H8, D20 and D21 of the Local Plan 2003 and Policy CS20 of the emerging Core Strategy Development Plan Document 2008
4) The operation of the use shall not obstruct car parking spaces or accessways within the Civic Offices or The Venue car park at any time.
4) Reason: In the interests of highway safety and to ensure the use does not interfere with the operation and use of the adjoining car park. To comply with Policies M2 and M12 of the Hertsmere Local Plan 2003.
The application has been considered in the light of the following policies of the Hertsmere Local Plan 2003 T3, T8, M12, M13, D3, D4 and D21 and the following policies of the Hertsmere Core Strategy 2008 CS20 and CS24 and is considered satisfactory because the retention of the existing car wash use to the application site with amended operating hours, is not considered to result in a detrimental impact on residential amenities and character of the surrounding area due to its location. Additionally, it would not impact on the availability of car parking spaces within the adjacent car park or the free flow of traffic within the surrounding area.

Additional Content for Election Leaflets

hertsmerejournal — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 14:06:00 +0000

New additions to the ever growing list of vanity projects which will feature prominently in next month’s local election leaflets from Councillors:-

Cllr Pat Strack – Borehamwood Kenilworth ward – £300 towards improvement works at the entrance to Woodcock Hill Village Green in Milton Drive, Borehamwood.

Cllr Andrew Zucker – Borehamwood Brookmeadow ward – £391.04 towards materials, dance wear and microphones for the Theatre Club Kids, Borehamwood.

Cllr Ernie Butler – Borehamwood Cowley Hill ward – £500 towards the Community choir buying a new printer.

Cllr Ann Harrison – Borehamwood Cowley Hill ward – £500 towards toys and equipment for the Big Top after school club held at Meryfield School, Borehamwood and £500 towards skills coaching for young people.

Cllr Morris Bright – Elstree ward – lumped his wad in with County Councillors Rabbi Plancy and Caroline Clapper to buy £5,500 worth of weatherproof equipment for Parkfields, Elstree (a skier, rider, body twist, rowing machine, cross rider and cycle, apparently).

Cllr Derrick Gunasekera – Elstree ward – copied his boss

Four Bushey councillors clubbed together to buy a piece of outdoor exercise equipment for King George Recreation Ground in Bushey called a twister
The four councillors and the money donated were:
Cllr Lynne Hodgson – £1,300
Cllr Anita Gamble – £529
Cllr Roger Kutchinsky – £460
Cllr Linda Silver – £80

This Journal is not shy in repeatedly calling this an utter waste of tax payers money. This ridiculous exercise only serves the vanity and self importance of councillors whilst doing very little for council tax payers. Last week we had Councillor Bob Calcutt donating some of his allowance to Relate, now Cllr Rabbi Plancy has used his cash to buy play equipment for a park in Elstree even though his responsibility is to the residents of north Borehamwood; that’s the Brookmeadow and Cowley Hill wards if Cllr Plancy hasn’t looked at a map recently.

Of course Parkfields is close to Brookmeadow (but some distance from Cowley Hill) but that’s not the point. This money, which should directly serve the people a councillor represents, is donated on a whim.

Borehamwood Man Charged with GBH

hertsmerejournal — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 13:22:00 +0000

A twenty four year old man appeared before magistrates in Hatfield this morning in relation to an incident that took place in Ashley Drive, Borehamwood, yesterday (24th March).

Daniel Francis, from Borehamwood, was charged with grevious bodily harm and has been remanded in custody.

A 45-year-old man from Borehamwood sustained serious head injuries following the incident and was taken to the National Hospital for Neurology & Neurosurgery in Central London, where he remains in a critical condition. It is believed the two men were known to each other.

Detective Inspector Jerome Kent, from the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit, said: “The incident between the two men took place at approximately 1.45pm on Wednesday. I am very keen to speak to anyone who was in the area at the time to contact us. It may be that you were walking down the street or were driving through the area at the time.”

“Any information you can provide, no matter how insignificant it may seem, could prove vital to our investigation and I would urge you to get in touch.”

Anyone with information is asked to call the incident room number: 01707 355959

Alternatively, call Crimestoppers, an independent charity, anonymously on 0800 555 111.

[from Hertfordshire Police Press Release]

The Budget 2010. Report and Opinion

hertsmerejournal — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 12:31:00 +0000

Alistair Darling presented his last budget before the General Election yesterday.

In his opening remarks he concentrated on the history of the recession and the progress made so far. Making his intentions clear to present a balanced Budget and because unemployment hadn’t risen as drastically as had been feared and borrowing had been much less than predicted he would be able to support trade and boost the economy. As well as helping the young with jobs or training and re-enforcing the benefits for pensioners. He also, once again, made it clear that those who had gained most in times of prosperity should now pay a bit more to help the country grow again.

BUDGET MAIN POINTS

One off tax on bankers bonuses has raised £2billion, twice as much as had been originally forecast.

International systemic tax on banks to be agreed with no return to business as usual for the banks.
Extending access to banking services, which will help around 1 million people.

UK economy contracted by approx 6% during the recession.

30% increase in vehicle sales due to the Car Scrappage Scheme.

Home repossessions at less than half the level than experienced during the 1990′s recession. Interest rates at lowest level for longer than any expected. Rates during and after the 1990′s recession were in double digits.

More over 60′s to be able to receive tax credits.
Job and training for 18 to 24 year olds extended to march 2012.

Stamp Duty limit for first time buyers doubled to £250k for 2 years. Stamp duty increased to 5% for residential properties over £1 million.

World economy is still unsteady. Growth for 2011 expected to be 3.5%

Fuel duty increase to be staggered: 1p in April, 1p in October and 1p in January.

Public Borrowing now expected to be £163 billion instead of the £174 Billion originally forecast.

11.8% this year 11.1 next year down to 5.4 in 2014/15 the reduction of debt as a percentage of GDP. Fastest debt reduction plan of any of the G7 countries. Any faster would threaten recovery. Reduction of £78 billion in borrowing over the next 4 years.

Fair share of tax to be paid by those who have benefited the most. Ciders and strong ciders to be taxed by 10% above inflation from Sunday. Inheritance tax to be frozen for 4 years. Overall tax plans will raise a further £19 billion. Tobacco to rise by 1%.

Still the worlds 6th biggest manufacturing nation. Can’t take growth for granted, Cannot afford to sit back and do nothing.

Access to finance imperative for small business. £94 billion in loans to be made available from RBS and Lloyds to SME’s. Credit adjudication service to judge bank loans policy.

Business rates to be cut for one year from October 345,000 small businesses will pay nothing. No increase in capital gains tax.

Replacing Nuclear Power and investing in new forms of energy. Investment in green transport and more support for off shore wind turbines. £2billion for new Green Investment bank.

Tax info exchange agreement Dominica, Grenada and Belize signed within a few days.

Child trust funds. Child tax credit increased by £4 from 2012. From April pensioners will be able to get £132 per week. Winter fuel allowance higher rate (£400) guaranteed for further year.

OPINION

The Chancellor spoke for just short of an hour and an exciting, give away or even ground breaking Budget it wasn’t. It was, however, a steady as you go, don’t rock the boat and this is a safe pair of hands one. Mind you listening to the Tories and the Lib Dems you may have wondered if they were listening to the same announcements.

Convention demands that the Leader of the Opposition replies to the Chancellor, not sure why, but in this instance it is probably for the best (for the Tories) given George Osborne’s lack of grip on matters economic. Although David Cameron’s performance, and it wasn’t anything else but that, was long on one liners, full of almost witty asides, good entertainment but short, in fact had little of substance that would have any fair minded person believing he could be the next Prime Minister. The problem Cameron had was that the best laugh of the day was when the Chancellor announced that “tax information agreements were about to be signed with…Dominica, Grenada and……Belize”. Most of the house fell about laughing, a friend of mine told me he nearly crashed his car on the motorway he was laughing so much, while the Tories sat there ashen faced. God only knows what Lord Ashcroft did!

The same can’t, unfortunately be said for Lib Dem Leader, Nick Clegg. His contribution ended with the observation that the last 13 years had been wasted. You begin to despair as to where these so called political leaders have been for the last 13 years? For both of them to disparage the achievements, (such as the minimum wage, sure start, low interest rates etc, the list is very long), of the current Government is mealy mouthed and disingenuous. We are not saying they have got everything right, but on the major issues they have led most of the way.

This Budget is, obviously, the last before the General Election and in all honesty it was not thought provoking, and has probably taken more that it has given. However, it is steady as you go and it has targeted those individuals and businesses that need it most. It is not a subject that should be ridiculed by 2nd rate politicians with nothing much else to offer.

OPINION: What do People Expect of Israel?

hertsmerejournal — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 11:17:00 +0000

Much has been made of the announcement yesterday, by the Foreign Secretary David Miliband, to expel an Israeli diplomat. It is assumed that he or she is probably the Head of Mossad at their London Embassy.

Watching yesterday’s statement by Miliband and the general agreement from the 2 main front benches there seemed to be a consensus that this was the right level of response.

However the same message did not reverberate from the backbenchers of either side.

From the Government side, the usual suspects, Corbyn, Mackinlay and Marshall-Andrews made the most of their opportunity to launch a vicious attack on Israel, followed by Menzies Campbell from the Lib Dems and Iain Duncan-Smith from the Tories. Others not worthy of a mention joined in too. Noticeably absent were any (and there are several) vociferous supporters of Israel.

The most damning attack, and probably the most ridiculous, came from Jewish Labour MP (although he tends to try to avoid admitting he is a Jew) Gerald Kaufman. His vicious and somewhat scurrilous claims that his passport had been cloned a number of times at the “corrupt Ben Gurion Airport” were about as daft as they were insulting. Really who would want to pretend to be Gerald Kaufman?

What is a little mystifying is why these these insignificant, egotistical nobodies think it is okay to repeatedly attack Israel for trying to defend their right to exist? Why is it that the same usual suspects who launched those verbal attacks yesterday, never find the words to condemn the terrorists when they bomb, kill and maim Israelis and Jews worldwide?

I don’t intend to speculate on their morals or their right to say what they say but their glaring myopia on certain issues is, frankly, deplorable. Yes there are things the Israeli Government could and should have done better, but to continually viciously criticise a friend and ally, and the only real and stable democracy in the region is, not only deplorable, but basically a disgrace.

If they think they would be better off without Israel by appeasing the terrorists, they need to think again. Fanatical Islamists with a policy of bombing their way to a “World of Islam” will never be satisfied, and to Jews who deny their roots they need to remember what happened in Nazi Germany, denials didn’t help save them from the gas chambers.

Theft from BP Garage in Potters Bar

hertsmerejournal — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 13:40:00 +0000

DO YOU RECOGNISE THESE PEOPLE – POTTERS BAR?

POLICE from Hertfordshire Constabulary in Potters are investigating two incidents of theft from a BP Service Station on the High Street, Potters Bar. They have released images (above) of three people they believe may be able to help with their inquiries.

The first incident took place on Sunday, March 14 at 3.20pm when a woman is believed to have entered the store of the petrol station and removed a number of items including some meat and flowers. She then is alleged to have left the store making no attempt to pay

The second incident took place on Sunday, March 21 at approximately 1.25pm when it is believed a man and a woman entered the store of the petrol station and removed some items of food from the shelves. It is alleged that the man and woman then left the shop making no attempt to pay.

If you have any information contact the investigating officer PC Graham Hiscock on 0845 3300 222 the Crime No, is 13/10/342

OPINION: Discredited MP’s

hertsmerejournal — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 11:17:00 +0000

You have to hand it to David Cameron he does know how to jump on a moving bandwagon. His latest feat of agility came this morning during his press conference when he commented on the recent disgraceful behaviour of MP’s and some lobbyist companies.

The 3 MP’s in question, all former Cabinet Ministers Patricia Hewitt, Stephen Byers and Geoff Hoon, have been suspended from the Labour Parliamentary Whip for bringing the Party into disrepute. All have been, apparently, more concerned about how much they could earn rather than representing their constituents properly. All three are stepping down at the election.

The BBC have also reported that MP’s from all parties have also broken rules by not declaring around 400 foreign trips, paid for by host countries. Under the rules MP’s are obliged to declare any foreign trip taken if it has been paid for by and outside body/organisation or the country to where the trip is made.

Quite rightly Cameron has called for a major overhaul of the system that governs declarations like this. However he only goes so far, Labour and Liberal Democrats are also calling for a statutory list to be set up for Lobbyist organisations that organise such trips and hospitality.

The system is a mess and is in urgent need of reform. This of course won’t be done till after the election. However who will do what if they win power, that is the big question?

Previous history of the 2 recent parties of Government are not good when it comes to regulation, particularly self regulation, and no matter what the promises are there is no telling how long the incoming Government will take to introduce new rules. When it comes to reforming local government, the electoral system or introducing new parliamentary rules governing behaviour, all parties have their drawbacks and an inherent mechanism for delaying the blindingly obvious.

All the parties will make promises on a number of issues, some more ridiculous than others, Cameron trots them out as a subject comes up. The others won’t before behind once the election starts.

We say, if you get the chance, at the election question in depth any candidate that comes your way, and don’t let them go until you have got a satisfactory response.

RECIPE: LEEK & APRICOT SOUP

hertsmerejournal — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 09:46:00 +0000

If you like to experiment with new tastes then you might want to try making the soup from the recipe below.

LEEK & APRICOT SOUP

Serves 6

1 Large Onion Diced

2 Medium Leeks Washed & Chopped

6ozs Dried Apricots Diced

40 Fluid Ozs Vegetable Stock (2 Cubes will do)

3 Fluid Ozs Double Cream

2 Ozs Unsalted Butter

Salt and Black Pepper to Season

Chopped Mint to garnish

Method

Melt butter in a large saucepan, on a low heat add onions put lid on and gently sweat off until soft. Add leeks to the pan and coat with the butter and onions again until soft. Add stock and bring to the boil, then add the apricots and return to boil then simmer for 15 minutes stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and blend in a food processor until smooth. To get it really smooth use the blender (the one you would make milk shakes in).

Clean the saucepan and return the soup to it on a low to medium heat for about 6 minutes adding salt and pepper to season then the cream and stir in.

Serve with a garnish of the chopped mint.

If you make this well before you need to serve, it can be gently re-heated. If it is made early it also gives the ingredients a chance to infuse and enhance the flavours.

OPINION: Not Cheap, But Social Housing Required!

hertsmerejournal — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 23:43:00 +0000

Reading the report this week in the local paper “More Cheap Housing is Needed” really begs the question as to whether the Borough Council really does have a Housing Needs Strategy or whether the local press have any real knowledge of what is really going on.

Shelter, the Housing charity, have criticised the Council for delivering only 27% of the affordable homes needed, in fact the Borough is ranked 97th out of 323 in a list released by the charity.

The Portfolio Holder, Cllr Hannah David, quoted the “Regional Spacial Strategy” as an example of “a good job done”. However that strategy was developed around 7/8 years ago with a target of 5000 new homes to be built between 2001 and 2021. The trouble is that figure was too low originally and has grown to be an irrelevance as the years have rolled by. All through, the Tory administration on the Borough along with their colleagues around the County and the Eastern Region have done their utmost to restrict the amount of new housing built in defiance of Government policy.

For the Portfolio Holder to claim that the 67 new build affordable homes every year is about on target doesn’t do justice to the real requirements. The percentage of affordable homes per development is really an advisory minimum, the problem is that it is phrased in such a way that builders use it as a maximum and Borough planners let them get away with it when really they should be pressing for more.

The local paper has missed the point, probably because the research wasn’t sufficiently well done, the question wasn’t about more “cheap” homes but more affordable ones.

The Portfolio Holder, to her credit, is having to defend a strategy she had no part in developing, however she has enough about her to push for a higher percentage of affordable homes to be built, but does she have the will?